This invention relates generally to eye wear and more particularly to eye protection means for use in combination with eye glasses, spectacles or goggles.
Various industrial environments are characterized by a high degree of air-borne dust particles in the ambient atmosphere. Such particles present an obvious occular hazard to unprotected personnel. While safety goggles may provide some measure of protection against air-borne particles, their main advantage is in protecting the eye from flying debris, etc. Thus, floating air-borne particles, particularly if of a fine size, may be so all pervasive as to float around the periphery of the eye glasses or goggles and gain ingress to the eye.
The Fendall Company of Arlington Heights, Ill. has offered for sale safety glasses which include small magnetic inserts on the temple pieces of the eye glass frame. The inserts are designed to attract dust particles thereto and away from the wearer's eyes. While such glasses may be suitable for trapping some ferromagnetic particles, the location of the magnetic areas on the temples significantly restricts effectiveness of the dust trapping action. In this regard with magnetic inserts located on the temples those air-borne particles which would tend to enter the eye through the space between the wearer's brow and the frame or the top edge of the glasses may not be diverted to the temple pieces due to their remoteness. In order to insure sufficient attraction of the particles to the remotely located temples from the brow, large or powerful and relatively expensive magnetics must be utilized. Needless to say use of such magnets is undesireable from the standpoints of cost, comfort, appearance, etc.
Accordingly, it is the general object of the instant invention to provide effective eye protection means for use with glasses and which overcomes the disadvantges of the prior art.
It is the further object of the instant invention to provide eye protection means which is effective for trapping air-borne ferromagnetic particles, to preclude the same from gaining ingress to the eye.
While air-borne magnetic particles represent a significant hazard to the eye, such particles form only a small portion of air-borne dust particles which can present an occular hazard. In this regard many industrial environments are characterized by significant levels of non-ferrous air-borne dust particles. Examples of such environments are found in textile mills, lumber mills, etc., where cotton, wood or other non-ferrous dust may permeate the air. In such applications the use of magnetic means is ineffectual for trapping the air-borne dust particles.
Accordingly, it is a further object of the instant invention to provide eye protection means for use with glasses, spectacles or goggles and which is effective for trapping non-ferrous dust particles.
These and other objects of the instant invention are achieved by providing eye protection means for use in combination with safety glasses having a brow guard in the form of a surface extending from the upper portion of the lenses of the glasses to a position closely adjacent to the brow of the wearer. In each embodiment of the invention the eye protection means comprises dust collecting means disposed on the brow portion and being formed of a dust retentive composition, whereupon air-borne dust particles falling thereon becomes trapped so as to decrease the potential for entering the eye of the wearer. In one embodiment the dust retentive means comprises magnetic material for trapping ferromagnetic particles. In an other embodiment the dust retentive means comprises at least one this layer of a material having a tacky exterior surface for trapping the dust particles thereon.